The launch of a series of square and rectangular tubes in sizes up to 300 x 300 mm and 400 x 200 mm by Stalatube Oy will open up novel applications in the transport, building, offshore and heavy engineering industries. The stainless steel hollow sections offer the prospect of stronger bearing steel sections in construction applications and lighter vehicle body designs.

"Stainless steel is a strong and hygienic material which neither requires surface finishing nor maintenance. Thanks to the high material strength, especially in our 350 series, it is possible to design lighter and stronger structural sections, which also leads to considerable material savings," says Jan Christiansen, Managing Director at Stalatube Oy.
When the production starts during the first quarter, 2000, the new tube dimensions is believed to be the world's first to be manufactured from stainless steel strip. The range of tubes includes dimensions from 25 x 25 mm - 300 x 300 mm and 30 x 20 mm - 400 x 200 mm with thickness from 1.2 - 12.7 mm.
The company's stainless steel rectangular tubes are certified for use in buildings by the Finnish Society for Steel Structures and German Institute for Building Technology (Ü-Mark certificate). According to independent tests, the fire resistance of stainless steel hollow sections is superior to those made of carbon steel. For example, thick-wall stainless steel tubes from Stalatube Oy are reported to satisfy the Finnish Class R30 fire resistance requirements without any additional fire protection.
All tubes are available according to customer specifications, for example, in lengths up to 18 meters with a minimum length tolerance of ± 0.5 mm, polished or pickled.

The company is part of the Finnish Stala Group, founded in 1972, with its headquarters and production facilities located at Lahti, Finland. The company exports its products to 35 countries. It has sales offices in the Netherlands and the USA. Current annual production volume is 15 000 tonnes which will increase by more than 30 per cent when its new production line becomes operational. The floor-surface of the Lahti factory has recently been doubled - adding 4000 m2 production and storage space.

Captions:
1. Finnish Stalatube Oy's Managing Director Jan Christiansen shows the company's new thick-wall stainless steel tubes (1.2 - 12.7 mm wall thickness) with dimensions up to 300 x 300 mm.
2. Expanded to ten production lines, the annual capacity of the Lahti factory will increase by 30 per cent from its present level of 15 000 tonnes.

For further information, please contact:
Stalatube Oy
Managing Director Jan Christiansen
Marketing Manager Jussi Aro
Taivalkatu 7
151 70 Lahti
Finland
Tel: +358 3 882 110
Fax: +358 3 882 1114
e-mail: jan.christiansen@stala.com / jussi.aro@stala.com
www.stala.com

Stala B.V.
Postbox 33
4780 AA Moerdijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 168 325 777
Fax: +31 168 325 778

Stala Inc.
P.O.Box 210
Bryn Mawr, PA
19010-0210
U.S.A
Tel: +1 610 525 7706
Fax: +1 610 525 5717